Real Story: Kyle Lockrow

Kyle Lockrow

Headshot of Â鶹ֱ²¥ graduate Kyle Lockrow, dressed in a racing jumpsuit and smiling at the cameraÂ鶹ֱ²¥ Class of 2011, Communication 

Current Job Title: Co-Owner, KLR Management Group, LLC; Driver/Spotter/Driving Coach, AM Racing; NMCI POC for PMA-261, NAS Patuxent River

Accolades, Accomplishments, and Highlights:

  • Best Buddies Citizen Buddy
  • Volunteer, Calvert Co. Special Olympics
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Licensed
  • ARCA Menards Series Licensed

My life has been an adventure because of the different paths that I have taken so far. Ultimately, I have always wanted to drive race cars in NASCAR and IMSA professionally. It can be tricky to get your foot in the door, but I am determined to have a successful career in motorsports: I am now racing in the NASCAR Xfinity, NASCAR Craftsman Truck, and ARCA Menards Series for AM Racing out of Statesville, North Carolina, and I'm also a professional driving instructor for TurnOne Instructing and Xtreme Xperience.

Overcoming adversity has been a constant for me, with many people in my life telling me I would never be successful pursuing a driving career in NASCAR.

I would consider myself someone who works extremely hard, is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve success, and cares about his family and friends.

When I graduated high school, I knew I wasn't ready to “go away” to school. Â鶹ֱ²¥ was the perfect stepping stone for me because it allowed me to learn the flow of the college experience, without feeling isolated from what I was used to.

Â鶹ֱ²¥ graduate Kyle Lockrow, dressed in a racing jumpsuit, striding confidently onto a stage and waving, in front of a backdrop reading "Reese's 150 at Kansas Speedway"Â鶹ֱ²¥ helped me become an adult and really challenged me before I transferred to Towson to pursue my bachelor's degree. Learning the importance of balancing school and work was what helped me realize that I can handle multiple commitments. The key was learning time management, and perfecting it is still an on-going process.

The experiences at Â鶹ֱ²¥ were very interesting at times, especially meeting various students and participants in other classes when I was a lifeguard and in the fitness center. The group we had on the lifeguard staff always had a blast: having fun at work, getting together off-campus, or climbing into a car to head to a concert. The people and experiences really helped me to expand my thinking and look at things differently. At that time in my life, I was just trying to figure out who I was and what I really stood for.

My education for me is something that proves I can accomplish anything with hard work and perseverance. I promised my Grammi, prior to her passing, that I would graduate college while still pursuing my racing career. She was a huge influence and support system in my life, so ensuring that I kept my promises to her helped motivate me, being the first member of my mom's family to graduate college was a huge bonus.

After completing my associate degree at Â鶹ֱ²¥, I went to Towson and graduated in 2013 with my bachelor's degree, and since then, it has been a crazy rollercoaster, with various opportunities in racing and different fields. I worked in marketing for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball team for a year and a half, then moved into professional driving instruction for FIAT/Chrysler and the Richard Petty Driving Experience.

After a short stint in logistics, a friend from Â鶹ֱ²¥ recommended that I move to the IT field, and I have been there for a little over five years now. Working in IT gives me a great feeling of satisfaction: I pride myself on problem-solving, and it allows me to chase problems and be creative in finding solutions.

Currently, I work full time on the Patuxent River Naval Base for a PMA in the IT department as the Alternate Lead POC for our division.

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Last updated: 9-7-22